Emergency Management

Running Head: EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Hazards, Disasters, Emergencies and Catastrophes
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Hazards, Disasters, Emergencies and Catastrophes
A hazard is defined as anything that has the ability to cause harm to an individual or make him or her ill. It includes any activity or substance that raises the chances for person’s injury or property damage. There are four types of hazards namely, physical hazards, biological hazards, chemical hazards and ergonomic hazards. Physical hazards include the unsafe conditions that result to illness or death such as unguarded machinery, loud noise and spills on floors. Biological hazards are as a result of exposure to infectious plants and animals such as insect bites, fungi and bacteria. Examples of ergonomic hazards are poor lighting, poor posture and frequent lifting. Chemical hazards are present when a person is exposed to gases, liquids, vapors and fumes. A disaster is a terrible incident that occurs suddenly and it results to a great loss of life, business failure, damage or a failure. Examples of disasters include airborne releases, fires and explosions, building collapses, transportation crashes, earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, tornadoes and volcanic eruptions.
Emergencies are serious occurrence or a situation that takes place unexpectedly and it demands an immediate action. There are two types of emergencies, personal emergencies such as bleeding, injury, sexual assault and loss of consciousness and medical emergencies. There are examples of emergencies namely, fights, missing persons, suspicious people or intruders and non-life threatening illness. Catastrophes are abrupt disasters of vast propo...